(Disclaimer)
This is how i do things. Please use this as a reference. I am NOT telling you to do it this way nor am i telling you to download anything i put in this post. and im NOT saying ive downloaded these things Illegally or otherwise.and finally i am NOT posting links to anything i use.
Chooseing a series...
Try to go after a series you like. Many Abridgers make mistakes here..they try going after popular series or try staying away from lesser known ones. This is not the way to do it! Later you can go with whatever but please put some thought into it. Im not saying do your favorite series, but it would be better is you would at least like it.
Get something you can make fun of. Some people Cant make fun of a series they truly love..they have an attitude about it and they cant find themselves hurting their image of it. If you cant make fun of it then dont do it.
Finally when choosing a series make sure you can obtain the episodes. I wont go into detail about this topic but it is recommended to support the official release if there is one.
Scripting Process.
If the script isnt good enough then the whole project is doomed in my oppinion. If you dont like the script then dont expect your audiance will.
Keep toilet humor to the minimum you can.We arent in elementary school people. Fart jokes and bad language doesnt make everything funnier.Examples are Bad language,Gross mental images,Sexual dialog, or racial humor. Every sentance doesnt have to have somthing like this in it and on most occasions its funnier to avoid them anyway. Im not saying dont use any,just dont let it be half your script.
Keep up with your character. Dont make the mistake of changing your character drastically every episode unless that is the character...well..this subject is a little loose in an abridged series but just try to imagine Nappa from DBZ Abridged without him being an Idiot...see what i mean?
Stick to your own style. Not everything has to come out with a million refferences or random jokes. Try to find your own style of scripting and stick with it through your episodes.Youll get better at it that way.
Be sure you can make fun of it...dont cut out a funny joke because you dont wanna hear it. If you think its funny then put it in. Dont abridge it if you cant make fun of it. Thats what Fandubs are for.
Have fun with it...simple.
Voice Acting.
I usually just try to envision what i scripted and get it close to it. Be sure to get into character when you do the voices and remember to ACT! Voice acting is still acting people. If you dont act it out even the funniest scenes could turn to mush.
Other than that please be as useful as you can to your fellow va's in the project and give them the best direction that you can.
Programs i use for voicing.
Adobe Audition 3.0: This is my most used recorder. It has many customizable features and can record in studio quality! But for longer recording sessions it is harder because it lags my computer..i useually eliminate this by first recording in sound recorder and then editing in this ^^ simple and effective XD
Wave Pad Sound Editor:I use this somtimes for simple recording i dont need to edit. It comes out very clean and it has an easy interface.
Sound Recorder: The default recorder in windows. It has many uses for me and i wouldnt count it out. Its most important feature i love is that it DOESNT LAG!! T~T Thank you sound recorder..
Skype/Pamela: For when i need voices from people who dont like recording themselves. This is used also to eleminate some sorts of noises people computers have when recording. AKA Pheons computer. ^^
Equipment
a 10 to 20 dollar Logitech Headset.: Cheap, Reliable, Amazing. Available at your local Walmart or Radioshack. This headset is my baby ^^ You can spring for a better one if you want but id suggest this if your just starting out. Ill probably Upgrade to a better one once i get the money though.
Editing
I dont like editing but my style is easy. Just put your voice around the lipflaps and then crop around them until it looks close to natural for an anime ^^ Im not a very good editor as you can see but it works as the bare minimum that you would need to do. just make sure that the lip flaps are from the character you want them to be from and that they dont stop or keep going while your guy is done talking or still talking.
Another editing trick i use is WIDE SCREEN!!! lol if you have episodes that are subtitled and you cant find raws then this is for you. If they arent too big you just crop them out ^^ simple. I know that that isnt the best solution but im pretty certain im not going to get famous for editing so i dont mind this method ^^
Remember to use sound effects and music. It will sound better if when they are walking in water if you hear them walking in it ^^ ya know what i mean?
Programs i use for Editing.
Sony Vegas 7.0: It is a solid program that has all the features that i just said with it. Thing is it also works as a sound editor if you mess around with it enough ^^
The finished project.
Alright your done! Now you upload the video and wait for some feedback ^^
If you want to try to get more veiwers then try asking people that voiced for you to please advertise it ^^ or if you did the voices yourself then ask a fellow abridger to watch it and advertise for you if they like it ^^
Any feedback is good feedback. If one person didnt like it please dont get angry. Try asking them why they didnt like it and see if its somthing you can improve on! Dont sulk because of it or get angry and flame them ^^ thats not nice.
Anyway i hope this helps out. Ill add more things if i get questions but im not the greatest abridger so just use this as a refference ok? I have alot to learn as well.
Subject: Abridging The Dco way. 
Sat Feb 20, 2010 7:37 am
